Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Zimbabwe: Human Rights

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, if any, in response to the petition highlighting the disenfranchisement of around five million Zimbabweans in the diaspora, which was presented at 10 Downing Street by the Zimbabwe Human Rights Organisation on 2 December 2021.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: We are aware of the petition submitted by the groups MyRight2Vote, Zimbabwe Human Rights Organisation, and Restoration of Human Rights Zimbabwe. The onus is on the Government of Zimbabwe to ensure that all citizens have the ability to vote in line with the constitution, section 67 of which states that "Every Zimbabwean citizen above 18 years has the right to vote secretly in elections". However, the UK continues to urge the Zimbabwean Government to fulfil their own constitution and their commitments to reform electoral laws.

Zimbabwe: Voting Rights

Baroness Cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the petition submitted by MyRight2Vote, Zimbabwe Human Rights Organisation, and Restoration of Human Rights Zimbabwe tothe Prime Minister on 2 December 2021, what assessment they have made of the disallowance of Zimbabweans to vote in elections from outside of the country; and what representations they plan to make to the government of Zimbabwe to protect the democratic rights of its displaced peoples.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: We are aware of the petition submitted by the groups MyRight2Vote, Zimbabwe Human Rights Organisation, and Restoration of Human Rights Zimbabwe. The onus is on the Government of Zimbabwe to ensure that all citizens have the ability to vote in line with the constitution, section 67 of which states that "Every Zimbabwean citizen above 18 years has the right to vote secretly in elections". However, the UK continues to urge the Zimbabwean Government to fulfil their own constitution and their commitments to reform electoral laws.

Nigeria: Freedom of Expression

Baroness Cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Nigeria about (1) the protection of freedom of speech and the press in that country,and (2)the imprisonment of journalist Luka Binniyat on 4 November 2021.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The UK Government strongly believes that the rights of individuals and independent media to express opinions and peacefully challenge authority are essential to a free and open society, and we launched our media freedom campaign in 2018 to shine a global spotlight on media freedom. We regularly meet with the Government of Nigeria and the Nigerian National Human Rights Commission to discuss media freedom. Through our engagement we advocate for the protection of the rights of journalists, and we will continue to do so. We are aware of the arrest of journalist Luka Binniyat and understand his case is ongoing. Officials at the British High Commission in Abuja are closely following developments.

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Politics and Government

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to help support the (1) police, and (2) security, forces in Bosnia-Herzegovina given separatist threats.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The UK takes very seriously talk of secession and other threats to undo the progress of the last twenty-six years in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), and remains committed to helping BiH maintain lasting peace and stability. The EU stabilisation force, EUFOR, plays a vital role in safeguarding peace and security. Although the UK no longer participates in EUFOR following our withdrawal from the European Union, we liaise closely with Commander EUFOR and his team. We also support the NATO HQ in Sarajevo including though the secondment of UK staff officers, who are building the capacity of the BiH Armed Forces. At the NATO Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Riga, the Foreign Secretary called on Allies to enhance NATO's engagement on BiH. The UK will continue to support BiH in implementing domestic reforms and tackling challenges to peace and security.

Northern Ireland Protocol: Trade

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty's Government what has been the percentage change since (1) the UK withdrawal from the EU on 31 January 2020, and (2) the application of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland, in trade between Northern Ireland and (a) Great Britain and (b) the Republic of Ireland.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Trade between Northern Ireland and Great Britain is not considered international trade and is, therefore, not captured in our official trade statistics.As set out in the July 2021 Command Paper, the UK is clear that significant trade diversion is occurring and the thresholds for A16 safeguards have been met.The percentage change in trade value since the UK withdrawal from the EU on 31 January 2020 and the current application of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland is devised using the Irish Government's Central Statistics Office (CSO) at the following link: https://www.cso.ie/en/statistics/externaltrade/goodsexportsandimports/.According to the CSO, compared to the similar period from 2018 (February 2018 to October 2019), Irish exports and imports with Northern Ireland have increased by 18 per cent and 38 per cent respectively, since the UK withdrawal from the EU (February 2020 to October 2021).According to the CSO, compared to the similar period from 2018 (January 2018 to October 2018), Irish exports and imports with Northern Ireland have increased by 44 per cent and 89 per cent respectively, since the application of the Protocol.

Department of Health and Social Care

Embryos

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers byLord Kamall on 2 November (HL3362) and 16 November (HL3662), why “information on the number of embryos produced, transferred, and confirmed pregnancies cannot be disclosed” for reasons of patient confidentiality, when the Written Answer from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Department of Health and Social Care on 15 April 2019 (241389) provided figures on the number of applications made, and approved, for mitochondrial donation techniques and the number of embryos discarded; whether there has been a change of policy regarding information about outcomes of pronuclear transfer or spindle-chromosomal complex transfer since 15 April 2019; and if so, (1) when that policy change was made, and (2) what were the reasons for that change.

Lord Kamall: In our Written Answer of 2 November 2021 to HL3362, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that the information provided was incorrect. We have corrected the record through Written Ministerial Statement HLWS503 on 5 January 2022.The HFEA advise that there has been no change of policy regarding information about outcomes of pronuclear transfer or spindle-chromosomal complex transfer. The HFEA publishes information which does not compromise patient confidentiality. All counts of less than five are not released as there is a significant possibility that when combined with other information which may be reasonably accessed, it could lead to the identification of a person to whom the HFEA owes a duty of confidentiality.

Adrenaline: Medical Equipment

Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Commission on Human MedicinesPublic Assessment Report:Recommendations to support the effective and safe use of adrenaline auto-injectors, published on 11 November; and what steps they will take in response.

Lord Kamall: This report was commissioned by the Commission of Human Medicines (CHM), which is an independent advisory group to Ministers. The report and suggested actions, endorsed by the CHM, was accepted by Ministers ahead of the implementation of its recommendations.While some recommendations have already been implemented, others are underway including changes to product labelling and improvements in adverse event reporting. Other recommendations, such as the availability of adrenaline auto-injectors, will require legislative amendment preceded by public consultation, to ensure that stakeholders are engaged and prepared before deployment.